George Takei talks 'vacuous' Trump, the Shatner rift and turning 80

Hikaru Sulu — dashing helmsman of the Starship Enterprise! Who could have guessed 50 years after he first appeared on TV’s original Star Trek, actor George Takei would be a sassy, politically minded celebrity activist in an electronic boxing ring oddly called Twitter — and quantifiably more watched even than his scene-stealing boss on the bridge, Captain Kirk?

Not that anyone’s counting, but Takei has slightly more followers than the actor behind Kirk, William Shatner, a true Twitter powerhouse in his own right.

Sadly, Shatner and Takei suffer long-running unease, and this relationship is just one of the things Takei and I discuss in advance of his appearance at the Shaw Conference Centre next Wednesday as part of the Edmonton Public Library’s Forward Thinking Series.

Note: This interview took place before Takei was accused of sexual misconduct in 1981 — an allegation he denies. Takei said on Twitter: “Those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful.”

I asked to be put in touch with the actor-activist again to discuss the matter, but his management responded: “George is currently traveling internationally and is not available for interviews.”

“EPL recognizes and acknowledges the seriousness of these allegations, and empathizes with victims of sexual assault, misconduct and harassment,” library spokesperson Heather McIntyre said. “This is a challenging situation in light of two differing views. Based on the information available, EPL is currently proceeding with our plans to host Mr. Takei.”

Getting back to what we did discuss, it started with politics.

Q: When we spoke a year ago, we were both very much looking forward to the election of the first female president.

A: Alas, it was not to be.

Q: I do follow you joyfully on Twitter, but how would you assess the Trump administration so far, in more than 140 characters?

A: It has been a disaster. The man is vacuous. He doesn’t know history. And beyond that, he’s irrational. I think the day of the terminus of his tenure is coming soon.

Q: This year was the 75th anniversary of Canadians and Americans interning Japanese citizens (of those countries) in camps.

A: Probably the Japanese Canadians got it worst because you’re north of the border and the severity of your winters. We were American citizens who were incarcerated with no charges, with no trial — the central pillar of our justice system is due process. That simply disappeared for us.

Q: It’s terrifying that such xenophobic thinking persists out in the open.

A: I do see a silver lining. When this vacuous so-called president attempted by executive order that all people from seven Muslim counties — it was whittled down to six later — would be denied entry into the United States, massive numbers of young Americans went to airports across the country to protest. Attorneys went to the airports to help foreigners get into the country. And the deputy attorney general of the United States, Sally Yates, refused to defend the order. So there is that silver lining. People did oppose and resist that, when 75 years ago there was no opposition. The sole politician who opposed that lost his political career. So I’m the optimist.

Q: You gave me terrific Japan travel advice last time — have you been to Noashima, the art island?

A: Isn’t that a spectacular place? In fact, they had a natural mineral bath with sculptures on a beach. So we got up in the morning, wore our cotton kimonos, the yukata, and soaked in the natural mineral springs while musing on the fantastical shapes that surrounded us.

George Takei, left, as Sulu, and Walter Koenig as Chekov in the original Star Trek.supplied

Q: Forgive me for this, but I ended up in a comic store in Osaka and perusing Star Trek comics stumbled upon some very saucy fan-made comics, the original Star Trek crew in various amorous situations.

A: Oh my!

Q: But there weren’t any of you …

A: (Laughs) Good, I’m glad! Saved!

Q: Have you been watching Star Trek: Discovery?

A: I have; I like it. It’s getting back to Gene Roddenberry’s idea of infinite diversity in infinite combinations — and the use of sci-fi as a metaphor for current issues. With J.J. Abrams’ (films), we got way off the tracks — great space operas, all that running through corridors, zipping through space. And I envied John Cho getting that skydive. But that was it — you didn’t have that other dimension, the real throbbing heart of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek.

Q: Stamets and his boyfiend, we haven’t seen a long onscreen kiss from them yet. (This has since happened on Discovery.)

A: Well, stay tuned. I’m sure it’ll happen. It doesn’t have to be a long, passionate kiss. That’s the way Brad and I are, just hanging out in the bathroom.

Actor George Takei his husband Brad Takei at their 2008 wedding.supplied

Q: What would it take for you and William Shatner to reconcile. It’s not a war, exactly …

A: No. This is silliness. There’s unanimity among the cast mates, we’ve all had difficulties with Bill, but we’re all teammates and we work together. When Brad and I got married, I asked Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, to be our best man and Nichelle Nichols to be our matron of honour. Nichelle said, ‘I am not a matron! If Walter is the best man, why can’t I be the best lady?’ We said, ‘Of course you are.’ We thought the most natural thing to do would be to extend invitations to everybody. We sent Bill an invitation. There might have been some mistake in the mail. If he would have called us before the wedding, we would have happily had him. We do conventions and we do cross paths. I’ll say, ‘Morning, Bill.’ And he’ll say, ‘Morning, George.’ And that’s it.

Q: How did you celebrate your 80th birthday in April?

A: We were in New York, Brad called it a surprise birthday party, but I got the hint. He threw a wonderful, big birthday party for me on the terrace of our condo. Some of our friends came from Hawaii and California. I had a fantastic birthday party on a perfect New York spring afternoon: golden sunshine, perfect temperature. That’s going to go down as the most memorable birthday I’ve ever had. And I intend to have many, many more. My grandmother, Shigeno Nakamura, lived to 104 and I’m very competitive. I intend to beat her.

Q: What are some things you still want to do in this life?

A: That sounds like the usual journalist final question: ‘Do you have anything more you like to talk about?’ I’ve got so much to do. I wrote my autobiography back in the 20th century, and I’ve lived a lot since then. I was still closeted then, I only mention Brad just in the acknowledgements section. I’m coming out of the closet for my second one! The first was called To the Stars. This one is going to be called Down to Earth.

Q: Where are you with it?

A: It’s all sketched out. I’m nearing the halfway point. My career has become these speaking engagements, including at Cambridge and Oxford on the internment of Japanese citizens. I think the Brits get a kick out of where the Americans stumbled.

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